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800g (1 lb 12 oz) potatoes, skin on, cut into thick chips
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
75g (2.5 oz) unsalted butter
7 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
200ml (7 fl oz) veal jus*
500ml (17 fl oz) beef stock
1 beef stock cube
1 chicken stock cube
1 tsp salt, or to taste
½ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
75g (2.5 oz) cheese curds*
Fill up a large bowl with cold water. Transfer the chips to the bowl of water. Pop the bowl in the fridge and leave to soak overnight (or a minimum of 2 hours) to remove as much starch as possible.
Drain the chips and give them a rinse. Spread out a clean kitchen towel on your benchtop and transfer the chips to the towel. Wrap them up in the towel and pat dry to get them as dry as possible.
Fill a wok or large saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and place over medium heat. Meanwhile, line a large tray with kitchen paper. The oil is ready at 150°C or when a wooden spoon or chopstick dipped into the oil forms small, slow bubbles. Working in batches if necessary, carefully add the chips into the oil. Cook, moving the chips occasionally, for 5–8 minutes or until just tender.
Use a spider strainer to transfer the chips out of the oil and onto the lined tray to drain excess oil. Set the chips aside to cool down.
Meanwhile, let’s make the gravy. Place a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and heat until it’s foaming. Now add in the flour. Using a whisk and stirring continuously to avoid lumps forming, combine the butter and flour until a thick roux has formed. Keep cooking the roux for a further 2 minutes to help cook out the flour.
Next, add in the veal jus and whisk into the roux until nicely incorporated. Pour in the beef stock and whisk in. Bring up the heat to high, whisking occasionally. Once gravy starts to boil turn heat to medium high. Crumble in both the stock cubes, stir, then add salt and pepper to taste. As soon as gravy is right consistency then turn down to a low and whisk every couple minutes.
Heat the oil to 190°C (370°F) or until a chopstick or wooden spoon dipped into the oil causes fast, furious bubbles. Carefully add the fries to the hot oil, and cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt.
Now to build the poutine! Add the chips to a serving bowl and scatter with the cheese curds. Now drizzle over the hot gravy and get stuck in.
– You can buy veal jus at a specialty grocer or online.
– We bought our cheese curds direct from a local cheese factory but they are often available online.
Cheese curd sub
If you can’t get cheese curds, mozerrella is a great sub. Just cut into bits about 1/4 to 1/2 inches in size. The gravy will cause it to melt giving you a nice cheese pull. I actually prefer it this way. Top with onions, raw or fried, and lots of pepper and ketchup, of course. FYI, poutine originated in Quebec.